Updated 4:25 pm, Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The crew had intended to keep the catch under wraps but the scene at this gas stations as they drove home was a bit of a give away.

The crew had intended to keep the catch under wraps but the scene at this gas stations as they drove home was a bit of a give away.

Photo: Joey Polk

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Joey Polk with his potentially world record breaking 805 pound Mako shark pulled in off from the Gulf shore.

Joey Polk with his potentially world record breaking 805 pound Mako shark pulled in off from the Gulf shore.

Photo: Joey Polk

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The will hold a total of 4 world records for land based shark fishing once this one makes it to the books.

The will hold a total of 4 world records for land based shark fishing once this one makes it to the books.

Photo: Earnie Polk

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Around 200-250 people gathered to eat the massive fish.

Around 200-250 people gathered to eat the massive fish.

Photo: Chad Petri

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Around 200-250 people gathered to eat the massive fish.

Around 200-250 people gathered to eat the massive fish.

Photo: Chad Petri

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Around 200-250 people gathered to eat the massive fish.

Around 200-250 people gathered to eat the massive fish.

Photo: Chad Petri

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It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

Photo: Earnie Polk

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It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

Photo: Earnie Polk

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It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

Photo: Earnie Polk

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It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

Photo: Earnie Polk

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It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

It took a little over an hour for Joey Polk to reel in the fish with the support of cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson

Photo: Earnie Polk

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Gulf fisherman's 805lb shark catch NOT a world record

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A Gulf fisherman's 805 pound shark catch last week apparently will not make it into the record books because – wait for it – he ate it.

A news release on the website for the International Land-based Shark Fishing Association, which certifies world record fish, says that since 2012 the organization has accepted applications for records only in cases where the shark has been released.

Joey Polk and his cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Peterson cooked up their 11 foot Mako, caught April 15 off the Florida panhandle, for a community feast feeding almost 250 people.

The news of the potential snatching of a world record from his grasp was met with consternation Wednesday. Polk said the shark would have been unable to swim away if they had released it because it was so tired.

"I think it's a bunch of bull, if that fish is not gonna swim off and not gonna make it, I'm not gonna let him die," said Polk

His hour-long battle with the fish made national news. The lifelong angler even appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America" to describe his struggle and eventual triumph over the fish.

Polk said he was still in talks with the ILSFA and hoped the matter would be resolved in his favor.

"We talking with them now, we submitted everything, in all honesty it should stand," said Polk.

In recent years those involved with the sport of shark fishing have been at pains to promote their tag-and-release programs in the face of growing criticism of a sport in which animals can suffer for long periods of time.

The ILSFA says on its website that its policy was aimed at "promoting, through research, education and practice, responsible enjoyment and stewardship of our marine and coastal resources."

Records for released sharks are measured using a "widely accepted large species estimated weight formula," according to the association website.

Earlier in the week Earnie Polk, who holds the current record for a land-based Mako catch, said he and his cousins tag and release almost 98 percent of the fish they catch. Only those too injured to survive are killed and eaten, he said.

The concept raises questions for animal rights campaigners. If a policy of releasing sharks rather than eating them is promoted, they reason, the fish endures a struggle purely for the fisherman's enjoyment.

Sean Paxton of the ILSFA said tag and release makes the sport sustainable.

"The fact of the matter is that if these guys are going to be out there catching these animals anyway, why don't we promote an ethic of best practices? Use heavier tackle, reduce time on the line. Sharks are a hardy lot, their life on a daily basis is not a walk in the park. Fishing is not going to cause the great harm and suffering that you might hear about," Paxton said.

The association says its books now include only two world records for sharks that were not released, both from before the new rules. One is for a hammerhead shark that died before it could be let go.

The other is Joey Polk's cousin Earnie's record breaking Mako catch from 2009. The 674 pound monster was also eaten.

Ashley Byrne, spokeswoman for the animal rights group PETA, said, "Unfortunately, catch and release fishing is cruelly disguised as a sport and touted as being humane. Really, studies show that animals that are caught and returned to the water often die from shock or from their injuries related to being caught."

Byrne says shark fishing is violence, pure and simple, "There are so many humane and sustainable ways to enjoy the water. Harassing and killing animals is not one of them."